Dhobi Ghat: 8 unknown things about Dhobi Ghat which you may not be knowing

Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat or Dhobi Ghat is situated in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai. It was built during the British Rule in the year 1890. It is Asia’s first recognized outdoor laundry. It is also considered to be world largest outdoor laundry.

There are many other lesser known things about Dhobi Ghat

Let’s look at 8 unknown things about Dhobi Ghat which you may not be knowing

1 Dhobi Ghat is more than 125 year old, a well known open air laundromat in Mumbai. The washers, known as dhobis, work in the open to clean clothes and linens from Mumbai’s hotels and hospitals.

2 There are rows of open-air concrete wash pens, each fitted with its own flogging stone. It is the world’s largest outdoor laundry. It is a very popular attraction among foreign tourists.

3 The Dhobi Kalyan & Audhyogik Vikas Cooperative Society, the apex body that represents washermen. They estimate the annual turnover of the Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat at around Rs 100 crore.

4 It garnered a Guinness Book of World Records entry under ‘most people hand-washing clothes at a single location in 2011.

5 For 18 to 20 hours each day, over 7,000 people flog, scrub, dye and bleach clothes on concrete wash pens, dry them on ropes, neatly press them and transport the garments to different parts of the city.

6 Over one lakh clothes are washed each day. Some of the wealthier dhobis have given up on manual cleaning and have now installed large mechanical washing and drying machines.

7 The dhobis collect clothes from all corners of the city, from Colaba to Virar. Their biggest clients are neighbourhood laundries, garment dealers, wedding decorators and caterers, mid-sized hotels and clubs.

8 Dhobi Ghat also attracts Bollywood producers for many years. There are many Hindi and Marathi movie where Dhobi Ghat has been shown like Munna bhai MBBS, Shoot out at wadala being the most recognised one.